Christmas: A Time for Forgiving
by Heavenli24
Summary: During A Roswell Christmas Carol, instead of being haunted by the ghost of the car crash victim & healing the children in the hospital, Max gets flashes of his life with Liz, Future Max's life. Confused by what he's seeing he goes to Liz for some answers
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Christmas: A Time for Forgiving  
**Author:** Heavenli24  
**Pairings/Couples/Category:** M/L  
**Rating:** MATURE  
**Disclaimer:** The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.  
**Summary:** During A Roswell Christmas Carol, instead of being haunted by the ghost of the car crash victim and healing the children in the hospital in Phoenix, Max starts to get flashes of his life with Liz, the life that Future Max led. Confused by what he's seeing, he goes to Liz for some answers.  
**Author's Note**: Although this fic will have a nice, fluffy Dreamer ending, there is some angst here - sorry . The title is taken from the Christmas song 'Mistletoe and Wine' and I have borrowed a few lines and ideas from the episodes End Of The World, Max in the City and A Roswell Christmas Carol.

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**Part One**

_"My life is only in danger if I am with you…"_

_"Max…I don't want to die for you."_

Max shot up in bed, the words from his terrible dream…Liz's words…echoing in his mind. His breathing was erratic and he raised his hands to wipe the sweat from his brow.

He thought he'd been handling everything so well recently. But the last few nights, memories of Liz's betrayal had been haunting him. They had started just after he'd returned from New York a couple of weeks ago. At first he'd been amazed and so grateful to Liz for doing…whatever it was that she'd done to help him…to save his life and at the beginning of that conversation in his room afterwards, he'd been filled with this incredible hope that maybe they could finally put all of this behind them and start over, but the moment the question left his lips, he realised what a mistake it had been to even voice his thoughts in the first place.

_"Did you…sleep with Kyle?" _

He regretted saying those words immediately. Just the look on Liz's face when she heard them was etched on his brain and before she even replied, he knew with a sinking heart that he was not going to like her answer.

He never should have asked her; he should just have agreed straight off to start their friendship over again, no questions asked. Maybe that way, he could have just pushed everything that had happened the past few months to the back of his mind and pretend it hadn't happened.

The idea was a stupid one and logically, he knew it never would have worked; but right now, he would give just about anything to have Liz back in his life again. And not just as a friend; but as a girlfriend, a lover. He wanted what they'd had last year; back when things were simple and life was good; before Tess came to town, before all the trouble started.

With a troubled sigh, he sank back down to the mattress, his head flopping onto the pillow. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was five am and that in less than three hours, Isabel, the Christmas Nazi, would be knocking down his door, demanding he get to the Christmas Tree lot nice and early so that he could find her the perfect tree. She would even provide him with a sketch and dimensions.

Trying to get back to sleep now would be pointless. His dreams would just be haunted with memories of Liz. They all started out the same, he and Liz would be together and happy; laughing and kissing and generally enjoying each other's company, but then the dream would turn sour. Images of Liz with Kyle would invade his mind, and they were much more detailed and explicit than the scene he had stumbled upon that fateful night of the concert. He would see them kissing, groping, whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears. He would be forced to witness Liz writhing passionately beneath Kyle, before opening her eyes and staring right at him, a look of triumph in her beautiful features, her hurtful words resonating round the room; ringing in his ears; mocking him…

_"…I can't go out with you ever again…"_

_"…I...I want to be in love with boys…normal boys…"_

_"…if you truly love me, you'll let me go…"_

_"…I may love you, but I don't want to die for you…"_

He shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the remnants of his dreams.

No, he couldn't go back to sleep. Not now. He wouldn't allow himself to.

Tired and bleary-eyed, Max stumbled through the mass of Christmas trees at the lot. He'd managed to persuade Michael to join him on his hunt for the perfect tree in exchange for helping him pick a suitable present for Maria.

Hearing Michael talk about the chore of having to find a present for his girlfriend, caused Max's thoughts to drift to Liz and how only a few short months ago, he'd imagined spending Christmas with her by his side. Although they'd exchanged gifts last Christmas, and Liz had bought him that pocket knife with the words 'Max and Liz 4 ever' engraved on it (the one he'd unwillingly returned to her only a couple of weeks ago), they hadn't actually been together at the time and he had hoped that this Christmas would be different.

No such luck.

Back in early October, he had begun to think that perhaps they were making progress, but then she did the worst thing possible. She betrayed him; she'd ripped his heart out of his chest and stomped on it. At first, he hadn't wanted to believe what he'd seen. In fact, he was determined to get the truth out of her, to prove that she had not been unfaithful to him. But she had insisted over and over again that it was true, that she had given her virginity to Kyle Valenti. However, he hadn't truly believed it until he asked the question that one last time after New York, For a second, he had been so sure that she was on the verge of giving in, but her silent nod confirmed it once and for all. She had known that he was giving her this last chance to make things right, and she still gave him the same answer.

That's when he knew it was really over for them.

He'd told her that they could work at becoming friends again, but now, with the dreams he'd been having, he wasn't sure if even that was such a good idea.

"Hey, Maxwell. Are we done yet?"

Michael's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, bringing him back to the present.

"What? Oh, yeah. Almost. Just have to find the right one," he said, studying the sheet of specific instructions Isabel had given him.

"Oh, come on," snapped Michael, snatching the paper out of his hands. "I'll do it. It can't be _that_ hard!"

Max barely noticed as Michael stalked off; diagram in hand, looking for a tree. No, his gaze was fixed on the corner of the lot, where a large, full tree was propped up against the fence.

Strange and unfamiliar images flashed through his mind. Images of a scene he didn't understand, of himself and Liz picking out a tree. Together.

_~Flash~_

_She ran ahead of him eagerly, coming to stop in front of a tall, sturdy tree._

_"Ooh! Let's get this one, Max. Isn't it just gorgeous?"_

_He couldn't help but smile at her exuberance, her energy and the way she got so excited over purchasing a simple Christmas tree, even if it was their first one. He came to stand behind her, his arms slipping round her waist and his chin coming to rest on her shoulder._

_"It sure is," he murmured, his warm breath caressing her ear. "And I'm not just talking about the tree."_

_He grinned as the colour rose in her cheeks and she turned in the circle of his arms._

_"Max…" she whispered softly, leaning in to place a tender kiss on his lips, which had turned cold from the air. "I love you," she whispered as they drew apart a few moments later._

_"I love you too, Liz Parker," he returned, brushing his lips over her red, weather-chilled nose. "So how about that tree?"_

_~Flash~_

"Max! Hey, Maxwell! What are you doing? Come help me with this," yelled Michael, once again returning him to the present.

What the hell had that been?

It was almost like a memory, but at the same time, not.

He took a deep breath, shaking his head to clear it. It was just his overactive imagination, playing tricks on him. That was all. After all, how many times had he imagined what a life with Liz might be like? Maybe the Christmas season was just getting to him.

He shoved the memory of the flash aside and turned to Michael, who was standing a few feet away, tapping his foot impatiently, his arm wrapped round a tree.  
Shaking his head once more, he walked over to Michael, raking his eyes over the tree in appreciation.

"Wow, you found it!" he congratulated. "It usually takes me hours to find the perfect one. Isabel will be delighted."

Michael looked down self-consciously, avoiding his friend's eyes, "Yeah, well…"

Max's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Michael, please tell me you didn't…"

Michael's head shot up and he tightened his grip on the tree defensively.

"So what if I did?" he demanded. "It's not like there's a single tree here that fits all of Isabel's requirements. Believe me, this way is much easier."

"Fine, but I'm blaming you if she realises that her beloved tree did not grow naturally," Max warned, but inside he was glad. This way they could get out of here much quicker.

Max sat at the kitchen table, watching as his mother prepared mince pies and cakes for Christmas dinner. Spending some time at home was the only way he could keep his mind off Liz. Today, it seemed that everywhere he went, something reminded him of Liz. Spending the rest of the morning with Michael, arguing about how to buy gifts for girls, had been just about bearable and he'd had no other strange visions of him and Liz together.

Now, listening to his Mom humming 'Let It Snow' and bustling round the warm kitchen, he could almost forget the mess that was his life, if only for a few moments. There was something about the Christmas season; something that allowed you to get lost in the festivities and the atmosphere and let you forget about the rest of the world.

Max had never been one to go to church, or even believe in God; which was not all that surprising considering who he was and where he came from, but neither the story nor the meaning of Christmas were lost on him and he had always understood the importance of it, even if he didn't completely accept the truth of it all.

"So, have you got any plans for New Year's, Max?" Diane asked her son, as she studied his sombre and thoughtful expression.

He looked up at her, slightly startled.

"Oh, um, not really," he said. "Just, you know, the usual."

'The usual' consisted of accompanying Isabel to the annual New Year's music concert, which she helped organise and more often than not, persuaded him to lend a hand as well, and then spending the rest of the evening at home with his parents, counting down to midnight. Most of the other kids would be out partying and having a good time, but Max had never really been one for parties and socialising, so he would opt for a quiet night in.

"Not doing something special with Liz then?"

"What? No, Mom," he sighed, his earlier bad mood returning suddenly. "Liz and I are not…we're not together anymore. I thought you knew that."

"Oh yes, of course, honey. I shouldn't have brought it up, I'm sorry," she apologised, a sympathetic expression on her face.

"It's okay, Mom," Max assured her, although he could feel his eyes stinging with tears that were threatening to fall.

She nodded and gave him another apologetic glance, before turning back to her cooking once again. Max stared at her back for a moment, but as he turned to face the table again, something caught his eye; he couldn't say what it was exactly, but it suddenly brought on another vision

_~Flash~_

_"Hi honey, I'm home," he called teasingly, as the door slammed shut behind him. He shrugged off his winter coat, hanging it on the coat-rack as he walked through the hallway to the kitchen, the smell of roast potatoes and chicken making his mouth water._

_He entered the room, stopping in the doorway at the vision in front of him. Liz, his wonderful, beautiful wife was hard at work over the stove. She was wearing a cute, frilly apron and was dancing and singing along to the radio. He smiled, watching mesmerised as she moved her hips to the music._

_"Are you just going to stand there all day, or are you gonna come give me a hand here?" she asked good-naturedly, not even looking up from what she was doing._

_His grin widening, he sauntered across the room, his hands encased in his pockets. As he reached her, he extended his arms, wrapping them around her middle, pulling her back against him._

_"Good afternoon to you too, gorgeous," he murmured, placing a kiss on her cheek. "It smells wonderful in here. You're doing a great job," he praised._

_"Yeah, well, I just want everything to be perfect. This is our first New Year's as a married couple and living on our own, I don't want to screw it up."_

_"Liz, you couldn't screw this up even if you tried," he told her and she relaxed slightly._

_"Thank you, for saying that," she said. "So, did you have a good time shovelling snow with Michael and Alex this morning?"_

_"Well, if you can call freezing our asses off and getting into trouble with Mrs. from next door for throwing snowballs fun, then yeah, I did," he laughed. "Oh, Michael said that he and Maria would get here by two and Alex will be here as soon as he can get Isabel to stop worrying about tonight's concert."_

_Liz laughed as snuggled further back against his chest, "And my parents will be arriving at two-thirty. What about yours?"_

_"The same, as far as I know," he replied._

_"Well, the food is basically all prepared now, so we have approximately two hours before everyone starts arriving," Liz murmured, turning to face him, a mischievous expression gracing her features. "Whatever shall we do until then, Mr. Evans?"_

_Max grinned down at her happily as her arms wound around her neck and his hands lowered so that they grazed her backside._

_"Well, you know, I have one idea, Mrs. Evans," he mumbled as his lips captured hers in a passionate kiss. He lifted her into his arms and her legs clamped tightly around his waist. Stumbling slightly, he manoeuvred her to an empty spot on the counter top and his lips and hands began their fervent assault on her body._

_~Flash~_

Max gasped as the images ceased, his mind frantically running through all that he had just seen. What was going on here? Why was he suddenly getting visions of him and Liz being married? His first theory was that he was imagining things that he had desperately hoped for his entire life, but it was like he had no control over what he saw, like it hadn't come from his mind.

And why would this be happening now? It might be Christmas, but he wasn't exactly spending his days mooning over Liz Parker like he used to. In fact, apart from the fact that he had agreed to rekindle his friendship with Liz, his heart was still hurting from her betrayal; his dreams were proof of that, and the way they were going, he wasn't going to get over the whole situation any time soon.

Suddenly the warm, homely kitchen seemed suffocating and too small. He had to get out of there. He stood up from the table abruptly, startling his mother as the chair legs scraped across the floor.

"Max, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," he assured her quickly. "Just need some air, that's all. I'm going for a walk. I won't be gone long."

With that, he left the house through the back door, leaving Diane staring after him, bewildered.

_TBC..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two**

Max found himself wandering the streets of Roswell aimlessly, his confusion mounting with every step. It wasn't just the unnerving flashes he seemed to be experiencing all of a sudden that were troubling him so much; it was feelings that the flashes brought with them. Feelings that he had closed himself off from and hadn't allowed himself to feel in so long and it was confusing the hell out of him.

"Max! Hey, Max! Over here!"

He looked up suddenly, startled by the unexpected shout. He was at the park, right in front of the Christmas skating rink and concert stage. Realising quickly what was going on around him, he looked up to find Isabel waving at him frantically from the edge of the stage. She was making last minute preparations for the annual children's costume pageant, he remembered.

With a sigh, he buried his hands further into his jacket pockets and made his way over to his sister. No doubt, she wanted his help with something, but despite his outward reservation, he was glad of the distraction. Maybe doing something constructive would keep his mind off Liz.

"Hey, Iz. What's up?" he asked once he reached her.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were Christmas shopping with Michael," she wondered, looking him over. "Never mind," she dismissed with a wave of her arm. "I need your help."

For the next two hours, Max found himself immersed in a world of candy canes and snowflakes as he strung row after row of decorations under the watchful eye of The Christmas Nazi. He was rather glad, however, that no one else was around to see him surrounded by tinsel and fairy glitter and rowdy kids dressed as princesses and pirates. It would kind of spoil his 'king' image if the others saw him being bossed around by his sister.

He shook his head at the thoughts running through his mind. Since when did he care about being considered a leader?

"Are you almost done here, Max?" came Isabel's voice from behind him. He didn't have time to form a response as she continued on regardless. "Okay then. Look, the kids are going home now and I have to talk with Mrs O'Neill," she nodded in the direction of a fairly large woman in a faux fur coat standing by the ice rink. "About the performance tomorrow. So, do you mind watching Sydney for me until her father comes to pick her up? He shouldn't be long." Again, she didn't wait for his answer, but turned to a small dark-haired girl of about five or six who was dressed in a fairy costume, taking her hand and leading her over to him.

"Sydney, this is my brother Max," she told the girl, who smiled shyly up at him. "He's going to look after you until your daddy gets here."

"Hi, Max," the small voice penetrated his brain and he couldn't help but smile at the sweet, innocent expression on the child's small face.

He knelt down in front of her, "Hi there, Sydney," he smiled.

Isabel shifted her clipboard to her other arm. "Right, I'll leave you two to it. Thanks, Max," she nodded and then made her way over to Mrs O'Neill.

It was only fifteen minutes before Sydney's father arrived, but it wasn't nearly long enough for Max. He was helping Sydney to colour in some pictures that Isabel was planning on putting up in a display of the children's Christmas artwork and was having a wonderful time. He'd never realised before how much he loved kids; how much he wanted one in the future. Maybe even more than one. But in his heart, he knew it wasn't meant to be. Who knew if he could even have children? And besides, the only person he could ever imagine having children with was Liz, and it was highly unlikely that that was ever going to happen now.

His internal musings were put to an abrupt stop however, when Sydney suddenly jumped up.

"Daddy!" she cried and began running towards a man stepping out of his car.

Max looked up. And stopped.

Sydney's father was…Brody?

He quickly gathered the rest of her belongings and walked over to the car, where father and daughter were hugging. Brody noticed him approaching and setting Sydney down, he turned to face him.

"Max, hi," he said. "I gather you've been taking care of my little girl," he gave a nod to Sydney, indicating that she'd just told him as much. "Thanks."

"Yeah," Max smiled self-consciously. "It was no problem. We had fun, didn't we Sydney?" he asked and the girl nodded enthusiastically. "I, um, I didn't know you had a daughter, Brody."

Brody glanced down at his daughter lovingly. "Yeah, she's staying with me over Christmas, aren't you sweetie?"

Another eager nod followed and Max also nodded his head in understanding.

"Well, uh, don't let me keep you. Bye Sydney, Merry Christmas."

"Bye Max," she waved as she and Brody began to walk towards the car.

"Have a great Christmas, Max," called Brody over his shoulder.

"You too," he replied and watched them as they left. He saw Sydney tugging on her Dad's arm in excitement, squealing when he suddenly hoisted her up into his arms and spun her around.

A pang went through Max's chest as he thought of doing the same with a child of his own.

_~Flash~_

_"Liz, please," he begged, following her through the kitchen and into the living room, where she resumed her pacing._

_"No, Max. You can't do this again. You can't get my hopes up like this, only to get scared and back out at the last minute. You've told me over and over how much you want children, our children, but whenever we try to discuss the possibility seriously, you change your mind!"_

_"Liz, I do want children with you, there's nothing in this world that I want more, but right now it's not safe and we don't know if it ever will be. Michael, Isabel and I still have enemies out there, watching us, waiting to strike and I don't want a child caught up in all of that."_

_"It's been five years since the skins attacked, since Rath and Lonnie tried to kill you in New York and our lives have been relatively quiet since. Face it, Max, no one is after us, no one has even come near you since we got married! I think by now we can safely say that the danger is gone!" she stopped pacing and turned to face him, her hands on her hips, an angry expression claiming her features._

_His eyes softened as he felt her anger and frustration. He hated seeing her so upset, but he couldn't risk it. He'd never be able to live with himself if he gave in to her and then something happened to their children because of who and what he was._

_"Liz," he took a step towards her, reaching out his hand to touch her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he told her sincerely. "I know how much this means to you, to both of us, but it's more of a risk than I'm willing to take. I'd die before I let my family suffer because of me."_

_That was all it took. She deflated before his eyes; her arms falling to her sides and his arms came around her quickly, hugging her to his body tightly. Her hands gripped his back and she buried her head in his chest. She was crying, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably and he felt his eyes tear up at her reaction and at his frustration over the situation._

_Max held her until she calmed and lifted her head to look up at him._

_"I'm sorry too, Max. I know how you feel about this and I know you would do anything to make sure that I'm safe; it's just that sometimes I wish that we could be a normal family. You know, husband, wife, 2.4 kids and a dog; and sometimes it upsets me that I'll never have that."_

_"I know, I know," soothed Max, stroking her hair. "I hate it too, but I just couldn't…"_

_"I understand," she whispered sadly._

_Max looked at her running his fingers lightly down the side of her face. He cupped her cheek and leaned in to giver her a sweet, tender kiss._

_"I love you, Liz Evans. You know that, right?"_

_She smiled tearfully and nodded, "I love you too, Max. Forever."_

_~Flash~_

The images left Max stunned and gasping for air as he returned to the present, Brody's car long gone from the parking lot. That flash had been different from the others he had experienced earlier. Those had been happily, idyllic scenes of a perfect future with Liz; something he may have even conjured up by his own imagination. But this last one…their pain had been so real and thinking about it, their argument was perfectly justified. But it was definitely not a situation that Max would have dreamed up himself; especially not if he was trying to come up with happy endings for Liz and himself.

So, if those images weren't conjured up by his own imagination, then what exactly had just happened here?

He was determined to find out.

_TBC..._


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for the reviews, guys :).

Sacha – I'm glad you like the story, although I have to admit that it's not technically new, as I wrote it almost 5 years ago (it was one of my first stories)!

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**Part Three**

On arriving back at his house on Murray Lane, Max apologised to his mother for running out so abruptly before and then promptly left again in the jeep, leaving Diane Evans to wonder what was currently going on in her son's head.

But Max didn't have time for explanations, all he knew was that he needed somewhere to think; and the one place that he knew would calm him and allow his thoughts to be rational was that of his birth: the pod chamber.

He'd never told anyone this, especially not Michael or Isabel, but he often visited the cave in the desert when he needed some time alone to think. Just being close to the pods that had housed them for so many years, gave him a sense of belonging and allowed him to sort out the goings on in his head without distraction from the outside world.

Only a few minutes after leaving Roswell, Max pulled up at the base of the high, jagged rocks containing their pods and the mysterious Granilith. They still had not figured out what its purpose was. All they knew was that it was very important and that the four of them needed to protect it with their lives, in order to stop Nicolas or anyone else from getting their hands on it.

Climbing up to the entrance of the chamber, Max waved his hand over the rock face to reveal the silver handprint that would allow him access to the cave. Pressing his hand to the glowing imprint, he watched as the once smooth rock shuddered and then slid open, revealing a bluish pulsing light from within. He stepped inside the small chamber sealing the entrance behind him. Immediately, he felt more relaxed. He made his way over to the small cluster of rocks to the left of the glowing pods and wearily took a seat.

With a deep breath, he sank his head into his hands, bracing his elbows on his knees. He didn't know what was happening to him, or why it was occurring today of all days, but he knew he needed some answers.

Why was he suddenly getting vivid images of the future; a future he knew he could never have? Was someone trying to manipulate him into letting his guard down, focusing more on Liz and his human life and therefore spending less time concentrating on protecting the Granilith? No, that sounded stupid. He'd always led a human life and had so far managed not to let it interfere with the importance of who he was.

So, what was going on then?

With a frustrated sigh, Max rose and began pacing the length of the chamber. Being in here wasn't helping him find any answers; for lack of anything else to do, he walking into the small room containing the Granilith, stopping just in front of it to stare up into its swirling depths. Mesmerised for a moment by the huge object, he reached out a hand, running it over the smooth surface, mentally begging for answers, or at least some kind of help.

But none came. However, another flash did…

_~Flash~_

_Max's hand firmly encased in Liz's as the two leather-clad figures scrambled their way into the Granilith chamber. Upon reaching the pulsing cone, Liz's hands grasped his shoulders while Max held her close to him._

_"I won't leave you," he claimed desperately, looking not at her, but at the large object to his left._

_"No, no, no. Max, you have to," she insisted, struggling to push him away from her and towards the centre of the room, stumbling forwards a few steps in the process._

_Max walked backwards with her, repositioning his hands on her arms, holding her in front of him so that he could look into her eyes._

_"If I'm successful, if I can do this, you and I won't exist. Not as we do now," Max told her regretfully, wanting her to understand just how much they would be giving up. But Liz was determined._

_"Max, if you don't do this, we're gonna die. Everyone will," she cried, grasping at the edges of his leather vest. He started to turn away, towards the exit, but her firm grip spun him back to face her. "Max, you have to do this. You have to try it," she pleaded desperately, her eyes locked on his._

_Max gazed into her eyes. "I'll never see you again," he stated sorrowfully and Liz broke their stare, her eyes helplessly roaming over his chest. They stood in silence for a moment before Max pulled her to him in a desperate hug. "Thank you."_

_"For what?" her reply was muffled by his shoulder._

_He pulled back, cupping her face in his hands, his fingers tangling in her hair, "For every kiss, every smile," he told her breathlessly, his gaze intense._

_Mimicking his actions, Liz reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face. She shook her head, a small smile appearing on her face, "Max, I don't have any regrets."_

_Just then, a blast from outside shook the chamber and they were thrown to the floor. As Liz lay on her back, recovering, Max reached into his jacket pocket with determination and produced what looked like a long, thin crystal. Clutching it in his hand, he rose onto his knees. Moving forward, he quickly pushed it into the base of the Granilith._

_They struggled to their feet, watching fixedly as the base began to glow brightly, the light travelling quickly up the inverted cone. There was awe on their faces, as the ceiling of the chamber above the Granilith became a mass of blue and purple swirls._

_Knowing what he had to do. Max turned to Liz, their eyes meeting. He drank in her features, committing them to memory, before giving her a resigned look. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the Granilith and Liz fell to the floor once again, as he disappeared in a flash of light. As Liz struggled to sit up and regain her bearings, Max reappeared, but this time, he was inside the Granilith. He looked around, bewildered, until he noticed Liz standing in front of him on the other side of the glass. He reached out to her and she did the same, her hand coming to rest on the wall of the cone, but just before their hands could meet, Max drew back as the huge object surrounding him flared to life. Lights flashed and Max looked up to the ceiling. With one last flash, the light encased him and rose upwards, sucking him into the swirling abyss above._

_"Ma…Max!" cried Liz as the chamber fell silent._

_Her husband was gone. Forever._

_Looking around at the now cold and empty room, Liz collapsed to her knees in despair._

_~Flash~_

In shock, Max tore his hand from the surface of the Granilith. What the hell was that? His mind was swimming with questions.

Why had he and Liz looked so different that time; and what exactly had the Granilith done to him? Had he somehow found a way to get back to Antar? But if he had, why weren't Isabel and Michael there with him? And what had he meant about them not existing as they do now?

What was going on?

He had to talk to someone about this. His first thought was Liz. Although things had been strained between them lately, he had agreed to remain friends with her and considering that she was the main feature of these visions, maybe she knew something about what was happening to him. That thought stopped him. What if she had been experiencing similar flashes? What if someone or something was trying to control not just him but her as well? Surely, he owed it to her to put aside his lingering feelings of hurt and betrayal to make sure she was all right.

Without another thought, he quickly exited the cave and climbed back down the rocks to his jeep.

He had to see Liz.

Jumping into the vehicle, he took off for Roswell at full speed, not caring about breaking laws or being caught.

Ten minutes later, he pulled into a parking space just outside the Crashdown. At first, he was tempted to use the ladder to climb up to Liz's balcony, but just as he took the first step towards the back alley, he realised that that probably wasn't the best idea; especially considering that he and Liz had barely spoken to each other lately, let alone been comfortable enough with each other to just barge into their homes unannounced. No, he would have to do this the proper way.

With a sigh, he walked to the front of the Crashdown and pulled open the door. The café was pretty busy, although that shouldn't have come as much of a surprise considering that it was the day before Christmas Eve. Max's eyes scanned the small restaurant, but there was no sign of Liz. Maria, however, was busy wiping down the counter in between fixing cups of coffee for various customers.

She looked up as he approached, a smile playing across her lips,

"Hey there, girlfriend. What brings you by this fine afternoon?" she enquired cheerily.

"Hey Maria, I was actually looking for Liz. Is she around?" he asked while keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of her.

"Liz?" Maria looked puzzled. "Oh, right, you guys are friends again now," she remembered. "You know, it's so hard to keep up with these things."

Max shot her a half-smile, "Yeah. We are," he murmured, not really wanting to get into the semantics of it all. "So is she here?"

Maria looked surprised at his question. Obviously, his previous words had not registered with her.

"Oh, she didn't tell you? She's out of town for the day. Her dad took her to some exhibition or something up in Albuquerque. She won't be back until late tonight," she explained with a sympathetic glance at his face. "Sorry, Max."

"That's okay," he shrugged, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he tried not to let his disappointment show. "I guess I'll just catch up with her tomorrow then. Thanks anyway, Maria." He turned to leave, calling "Oh, and I if don't see you again in the next couple of days, Merry Christmas," over his shoulder as he approached the door

"Merry Christmas, Max," she called after him, watching as he disappeared through the front doors with a quizzical frown on her face. What had that been all about?

Well, that had been a bust, thought Max as he sat in the jeep outside the Crashdown. He was imagining things; things he was sure Liz knew at least something about, and she wasn't even here. She wouldn't be back for hours. Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. He was going to have a long evening night ahead of him before he could talk to her.

_TBC..._


	4. Chapter 4

**Part Four**

Max was at a loss for what to do now. He didn't want to just go home and spend the evening moping around the house, his mind constantly trying to discover exactly what was happening to him. Besides, Isabel would most likely be out organising things for Christmas, which she would no doubt try to get him involved in before she left, and if he stayed home, his Mom would no doubt make him a guinea pig for her new Christmas recipes.

So, he made his way to Michael's apartment. Since Liz and her father were out of town, it was pretty likely that Maria would be working late to cover her friend's shift; which meant that Michael would not have company tonight. Max's thoughts lingered for a moment on the relationship that Michael shared with Maria. He wished he and Liz had managed to work through everything and had stayed together. No matter how much or often he tried to deny it, Max knew that he was still in love with Liz; he always would be, it was like it was ingrained in his soul; it was part of him. He couldn't not love her. And that's what was so pathetic about their situation. Had it been anyone else, he would have turned his back completely the day she betrayed him with her ex-boyfriend. But it wasn't anybody else; it was Liz.

He shook his head, realising that he hadn't been paying attention to the road. Now was not the time to be going off into Liz-land again.

Pulling up at Michael's, he parked the jeep outside and knocked on his friend's door. He only had to wait a second before it was wrenched open, revealing an angry Michael.

"Look, I already told you, I don't want no damn carol singers so – " he looked up mid-rant, and stopped. "Max."

Max flashed him a knowing smile, "Hey, Mike. Being hassled, I take it?"

"Yeah," he replied, frustrated. He ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Damn kids."

Max bit back a grin. "You know, Michael, it's Christmas. You might wanna lay off the Scrooge attitude."

Michael's head snapped up. "Hey, look who's talking! I'm not the one who's been moping around here like a lost puppy these past few weeks," he retorted, but before Max could say anything in reply, he sighed and added, "Look, you wanna come in?"

"Sure," said Max, stepping inside the apartment. "And for your information, I haven't been moping, I've just been…preoccupied," he lied.

Michael crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow, "Sure you have, and I'm the perfect boyfriend."

Max sighed and took a seat on the couch. "Okay, fine, I've been moping. But that's my concern right now, not yours. And I'd rather not go there just now."

Michael just shrugged in a 'whatever' gesture, but Max could see the almost imperceptible nod of understanding as he did so.

"So, what brings you by tonight, Maxwell?"

It was Max's turn to shrug, "I noticed Maria was working tonight and since it's the holidays, I thought maybe you could use the company."

Michael's eyes narrowed, "You mean you didn't want to get roped into one of Isabel's little planning schemes and my place was the only place you could hang out."

"Well, that and my Mom's trying out new cooking recipes," he admitted sheepishly.

"Oh, well in that case, be my guest," said Michael, as he also took a seat on the couch. "I was just about to settle down for an evening with the Playstation. You up for it?"

That had Max smiling, he could really do with a fun night off, playing computer games with his best friend. Almost like a normal guy. "Sure," he replied, reaching for one of the control pads. "Be prepared to get your butt kicked, Guerin."

"Oh, I'm not the one in for a butt-kicking, Evans," retorted Michael as he picked up the other control pad. "Get ready for defeat!"

Three hours later, the former alien king and his second-in-command were slumped on the sofa, each with a bag of chips in hand, watching (or, more accurately, staring at the) TV. Unable to face another night sleeping in his room, with reminders of Liz all around him, Max had opted to crash on Michael's couch for the night. Maybe being in a different environment would help to keep his mind off the memory of seeing her and Kyle together, at least for a few hours.

"Man, I'm beat!" Michael's tired voice suddenly pulled Max from his thoughts and he looked over at his friend. "Been working on Maria's present all afternoon," Michael explained when Max fixed him with an inquisitive look.

"Working on Maria's…?" Max trailed of as an awful thought occurred to him. "Michael," his tone was warning. "What exactly are you giving your girlfriend for Christmas?"

"What?" Michael retorted defensively. "Isabel said I had to get her something personal, thoughtful and something she would never get herself and that's exactly what I did!"

"Michael, what did you get?" repeated Max, bracing himself for the answer, alarms bells going off in his head.

Michael nodded towards the back door, where a car bumper was resting on a workbench.

"A bumper? You got Maria a bumper?" Max cried incredulously.

"Not just any bumper," his friend retorted. "It's for a Jetta."

"Right, I see that," agreed Max. "But how exactly does it fit into Isabel's requirements?"

Michael sighed and prepared to tell the story again; he'd already had this conversation with Isabel earlier in the day. "One, it's personal because I personally know how annoyed she is that we keep messing up her car. Two, it's thoughtful because I had to get it from the junkyard and three, her bumper's been hanging off her car for months, which proves that she'd never buy it for herself," he finished, crossing his arms over his chest.

Max sighed, running a hand over his face. He spoke carefully, "Michael, when Isabel told you all those things, I don't think she was talking about a new bumper. Some jewellery maybe, but not a new part for Maria's car."

He hadn't meant to offend him, but obviously, his words struck a cord because next thing he knew, Michael was on his feet and storming out of the room.

"You know what, Max? I've had it with all this 'perfect Christmas', 'perfect present' crap!" he cried, as he stopped in his bedroom doorway and turned back towards the couch. "I'm going to bed. You know where the blankets are."

The door slammed behind him, leaving Max alone in the living room to clean up their mess. He turned off the TV and carried the remaining food and drink to the kitchen.

Grabbing a pillow and blanket from the small closet in the bathroom, he made himself comfortable on the couch and settled down to sleep.

***

The nightmares came again that night, as Max slept fitfully on Michael's couch. But something was different this time, they started out the same as usual, but right in the middle, something changed…

_Max clambered eagerly up the ladder to Liz's balcony. Despite all her recent refusals to get back together with him, he was still as determined as ever to see her, to talk to her and maybe even persuade her to change her mind once and for all. He didn't know what was different about tonight, but all he knew was that one way or another, he was going to convince Liz to give him another chance. He had miraculously managed to secure tickets to tonight's Gomez concert in Santa Fe and although she had told him that she couldn't go out with him ever again, he had felt their connection when he'd kissed her in Whitaker's office the other day and he just knew that deep down, she still loved him; which was why he was climbing onto her balcony right now._

As he swung his legs over the wall, he couldn't help the feeling of elation that swelled up in his chest at the thought of being with Liz again. A smile lit up his face as he made his way over to her window, preparing to use everything he had to change her mind.

But he only got two-thirds of the way there, before a movement from within her room stopped him in his tracks.

No. He hadn't just seen what he thought, had he? Yes, he had. A focused gaze through the window confirmed it.

Liz, his Liz, was in bed with another man. Not just any man, though. It was Kyle. Her ex.

His heart dropped into his stomach and he felt tears welling up in his eyes.

No.

This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't.

He closed his eyes for a moment, willing the image of the two of them lying together in the bed to disappear, But it didn't. If anything, what he saw in his mind was a thousand times worse than what was actually occurring in the bedroom. All he could see was images of Kyle and Liz in the throes of passion, writhing together on the bed, crying out in ecstasy.

With a strangled sob, Max forced his eyes open once more, his gaze fixing sorrowfully on Liz, who was now facing him. She had pulled the covers up higher around her chest, the shock and shame evident on her otherwise flawless features.

Their eyes locked and as hard as he tried, Max just could not look away. In fact, as he stood there, staring into her eyes, everything else seemed to disappear around him.

The scene in front of him shifted and suddenly he was no longer observing the love of his life with another man, but instead he was seeing the two of them, he and Liz, together; wrapped in each other's arms, loving each other so completely.

Suddenly, the scene seemed to rewind and then he was witnessing them talking, fully clothed this time – wearing the same clothes he was currently dressed in, in fact. What looked like the very concert tickets he currently held in his hand were being waved in the air as the other version of him spoke heatedly. It was only a moment before they seemed to melt into each other, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss, arms wrapped around each other tightly.

As one, they stumbled towards the bed and sank down onto it; Liz was on her back, with him on top. Clothing was tugged at frantically and moments after his shirt was discarded, Liz's tank top joined it on the floor. His large hands caressed her newly exposed skin and Liz's pants soon followed the tank top. In a feverish need to rid him of his jeans, Liz began fumbling with the belt. His hand stopped her however and instead, he reached for something in his back pocket. As the image of Max pulled out the item he was searching for and whispered something to Liz, the other Max, the one observing the scene through the window, felt in his own back pocket for the condom that he had placed there only yesterday.

Max could do nothing but watch, with tears in his eyes, as this vision of him and Liz made sweet, passionate love on her bed. Whilst the other Max moved his head to place hot, wet kisses to the smooth skin of Liz's neck, her eyes snapped open and made contact with his own through the glass. Their gazes locked as suddenly Max was catapulted back into reality.

Blinking harshly, the world came into focus again and once again, all he could see was Liz and Kyle together in the bed. Stumbling slightly, he fumbled backwards towards the ladder, the concert tickets slipping from his fingers and falling to the floor of the balcony. Blindly he turned to face the wall, grasping the metal bar of the ladder with shaking hands as he climbed back over the wall and began his descent...

Max's eyes shot open as he awoke suddenly, his breathing harsh and ragged, his body aching for Liz.

What was that?

Had it been some kind of hopeful turn of events that his twisted mind had come up with, or had it been something else? His first thought was that it had been wishful thinking, but coupled with the strange things he'd already seen over the last 24 hours, he couldn't be sure.

But what he did know was that he desperately needed to talk to Liz. She had been the star of all his strange visions so far and somehow he was sure that she knew something about all this.

He glanced over at the illuminated clock on Michael's VCR; the glowing figures read 6.22am. Great. It would be several hours before he could find Liz and talk to her. With a sigh, he let his head fall back to the pillow and willed his body to relax and fall back to sleep again. But, when that didn't work, he flicked on the TV, turning the volume setting to low so that it wouldn't wake Micheal, and allowed himself to be sucked into the world of early morning reruns.

_TBC..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Part Five**

Max was still lying on the couch, watching early morning TV when Michael emerged from his room a couple of hours later. With a short grunt of acknowledgment towards Max, he shuffled into the kitchen to fix some coffee.

"Hey, man," muttered Michael, as he placed two steaming mugs of coffee on the table in front of the couch.

"Morning," Max replied sluggishly, swinging his legs off the seat to make room for his friend.

"What're you watching?"

"Oh, not much, just some sitcom about a dysfunctional family. Couldn't sleep, you know?" he said.

"Yeah…" Michael agreed half-heartedly. He paused and then continued reluctantly, "Look, I'm sorry I went off at you last night, okay?"

Max bit back a smile at Michael's obvious discomfort at getting the words 'I'm sorry' out.

He shook his head. "Hey, no big," he dismissed, reaching for the hot mug in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled the wonderful aroma before taking a sip. The smell of coffee always made him think of curling up in front of a large warm fireplace with someone special.

Unfortunately, that train of thought brought him back to Liz and the memory of the dream he'd had last night.

He forced himself to remain seated on Michael's couch long enough to drink his coffee and make random small talk with his best friend, instead of doing the one thing he desperately wanted to do right now, which was finding Liz. He managed to make it through about forty minutes – the majority of which was spent listening to Michael moan about the Christmas Nazi, a.k.a. Isabel and express his displeasure over the whole Christmas holiday, especially the notion of buying gifts for everyone in his life – before he couldn't take it any longer and had to leave.

Quickly making his excuses to Michael, he thanked him for letting him crash on the couch. Luckily, his friend admitted that he was in desperate need of a shower and that he had been just about to kick him out anyway, so it was with a sigh of relief, mixed with hope that he would finally get some answers, that he left Michael's apartment and headed back over to the Crashdown again.

The morning breakfast rush was in full swing when Max arrived at the café for the second time in less than twenty-four hours. On his approach, he stopped just outside the front doors, peering inside for a glimpse of Liz.

There she was, dressed in that ridiculous alien-themed uniform, laughing with the customers she was serving. A family – a husband, wife and two young kids. Max's heart skipped a beat in his chest as he observed her laughing and joking with them, making the children giggle at her antics. Today, since it was Christmas Eve, he guessed, she was wearing a Santa hat, complete with alien antennae and tinsel around her ponytail.

Max couldn't help but smile at the picture she made and if it was possible, he fell in love with her all over again. Oh, he hadn't forgotten that he could barely stand being around her lately; but watching her right now, he was able to imagine, even if only for a moment, that he was seeing her for the very first time and his heart swelled.

He must have been standing there longer than he realised, because scarcely a second later, her head whipped round and her gaze became fixed on him through the glass door. His eyes widened in surprise at being caught staring at her and he was sure that he was currently sporting a 'deer caught in the headlights' expression. He was about to turn to leave; a sudden, unexpected wave of uncertainty and nervousness washing over him; but before he could move a muscle, Liz smiled and beckoned him towards her.

Managing a tentative smile back, he sucked in a breath and, gathering his courage, he pulled open the door and stepped inside the small restaurant. Immediately he was hit with the delicious smell of pancakes and coffee. Liz gestured to the counter, indicating that she was going to hand in the family's order and that he should wait for her there. He nodded, walking over to the counter where Maria was pouring drinks.

"Hey, Max," Maria greeted cheerfully as he approached, "long time, no see," she teased. "So, I see you've finally caught up with Miss Christmas Cheer herself over there."

"Yeah," Max agreed, leaning against the counter top as he watched Liz flit between customers on her way to the order window. He frowned. "Wait, what did you just call her?"

"Oh. Sorry. It's just that she's not exactly been in the best of spirits this week. From the way she's been acting, you wouldn't know it was Christmas Eve today."

Max was confused. "What do you mean? She seems perfectly cheerful this morning."

Maria waggled her finger at him in dismay, "See, that's just her little act for the benefit of the customers. The moment she goes out that door," she pointed to the back door leading to the break room. "The smile disappears and she's all miserable."

Max watched with a concerned expression as Liz conversed with the cook through the order window. She seemed pretty normal to him right now, but he could also see that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes as she laughed.

"Hey, she's coming over." Maria nudged his arm. "Go see if you can cheer her up for me."

Max shot her a small half-smile and then turned back to face Liz, who had now reached his side.

"Hey, Max. What are you doing here?"

"Liz, hi," he said, looking around the café for a moment, "I was wondering if maybe we could talk?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure, Max, what's up?"

Max looked uncomfortable for a second, but he carried on regardless, "You know how we agreed to try to be friends again? Well, I think I need a friend right now." Okay. So, he needed more than a friend; he needed some answers from Liz, but he didn't want to scare her off just yet, so he settled for the friends approach.

"Oh, okay," she looked slightly bewildered, but nodded nonetheless. "Well, my Dad needed help with the rush this morning, but I have some time free now before I start my normal shift, so why don't we go upstairs and we can talk?" she suggested, not risking a glance in Maria's direction for fear of her reaction to the fact that she was inviting Max up to her room.

"Okay," he agreed, another small smile gracing his lips. "Thanks," he told her as he followed her through the café towards the break room. She sent him a smile as she pushed through the door and they made their way up the stairs to the apartment above the Crashdown.

"So, Max," Liz started once they reached her room and she had shut the door behind them, "what did you want to talk about?"

But Max wasn't listening. He wasn't doing much of anything, really. The moment he'd stepped through the door into her bedroom and found himself just feet from her bed, he was hit with memories of last night's dream. But now it wasn't so much the 'Liz and Kyle' part that got to him, it was the 'Liz and him, making love in that very bed' part that had him unable to think about anything else.

"Max?" Liz questioned when he didn't reply. "Are you okay?"

Mentally shaking himself, Max snapped out of his daze at the sound of her voice and turned to face her. "Sorry, I missed what you said just then."

Liz frowned, puzzled. It wasn't like Max to be distracted like this. He usually couldn't afford to be preoccupied. "I asked what you wanted to talk about," she repeated.

"Oh, right," he nodded, unsure where or how to start. "Um, you wanna sit down? It might take me a while to say everything I need to," he explained at her confused expression.

"Sure," she mumbled, moving across the room to sit on the edge of the bed.

Max closed his eyes, trying to focus on his reason for being here rather than the fact that he was in Liz's bedroom and that she was on her bed.

"Max, you're scaring me here," she said. "What's all this about?"

"Okay," he exhaled, not looking directly at her, but he squared his shoulders all the same, preparing to tell her what he'd experienced over the past day. "See, something strange has been happening to me since yesterday. I've been getting these…flashes, I guess…and I don't know why I'm having them or what they mean."

He chanced a look in her direction to find her expression had evolved from one of confusion to one of concern, "You're getting flashes? Do you think this is a sign that something bad is on its way?"

"What?" he was bewildered. "Oh. No, Liz. That's not what I mean. The images I've been seeing, they're more…personal…I guess. See, I've been having flashes of…us."

"Us? You mean like you and Isabel and Michael?" Liz questioned, not daring to consider any other possibility.

Max sighed and made eye contact with her. "No, Liz," he spoke softly. "I mean of you and me. Together," he added meaningfully.

"T-together?" Liz practically squeaked.

He nodded sadly. "Married," he added in a whisper.

"Married?" Liz repeated softly in wonder. But then she shook her head; they couldn't get married. Ever. "Max…" she started regretfully.

"Shh, don't," he pleaded. "I'm not trying to…I didn't mean…" He tried again, "Look, at first, I didn't know why I was having them, or if they were even flashes. I thought maybe it was just my imagination or something," he blushed and Liz suddenly understood what he meant by that. "But then, they started changing. They felt so real and we weren't always happy in them; and I thought maybe if I came to you, you might be able to help me figure out what was going on."

Liz could do nothing but stare at him, open-mouthed. Max was having visions about her? That they were married? Now why did that scenario sound so familiar?

"Max," she patted the bed beside her, inviting him to sit down. "What exactly happened in these flashes?" she asked carefully when he complied and took a seat next to her.

Max ran a hand over his face, really not wishing to share all the intimate details with her, especially considering the current state of their relationship; but he knew there was no getting out of it now.

He took a deep breath and started. "The first one happened when Michael and I were at the Christmas tree lot yesterday. We were trying to find the perfect tree for Isabel – you know how she gets at Christmas – when suddenly I had this vision of you and I picking out our first tree together."

A smile lit up Liz's face as she imagined doing that very thing with him. "And?" she murmured.

"And nothing," he replied. "It was over in a second and I just put it down to wishful thinking. I did the same with the second flash too."

Liz leaned towards him slightly in anticipation, "Which was…?"

"A couple of hours later, I was in the kitchen talking to my Mom about New Year's and when she turned back to her cooking, it just happened." He looked away for a moment, savouring the memory of what he'd seen. "It was our first New Year celebration as a married couple and I came home from shovelling snow with Alex and Michael, to find you cooking dinner. Everyone was coming over later – our parents, Michael and Maria, Isabel and Alex – and you were worried that you wouldn't do a good job. I assured you that everything would be great and then we…um…you know…on the counter top."

He sneaked a careful glance at Liz, only to find her eyes brimming with tears. "Oh, Max. That sounds just…perfect."

He allowed a small smile to grace his lips. "Yeah, it was," he agreed wistfully.

"But…?"

"The next one wasn't so great. We were arguing about children. We both wanted them, but I knew it was too dangerous and that having a child was too much of a risk with god knows how many enemies we had out there."

"I'm sorry, Max," Liz didn't really know what she was apologising for – it wasn't as if she'd been there or anything.

"No," he shook his head. "It was a perfectly logical and sensible argument, which was what had me worried."

Liz looked at him, perplexed, so he explained.

"Up until then, I had assumed that I was seeing my own fantasies, but that flash had me thinking; if I was imagining a perfect life with you, why would I see us arguing and unhappy?"

Liz nodded in realisation, but she still didn't understand where he was going with this. "Max, what are you getting at here?"

"I thought that maybe something else was responsible for my flashes, but I didn't know what. I still don't," he added, disappointment evident in his tone. "Anyway, after that vision, I needed some time to think; so I drove out to the pod chamber." At Liz's curious expression, he elaborated. "I like to go there sometimes when I want some time to myself – it's quiet and peaceful up there and no one else but us knows about it. Anyway, I ended up in the Granilith chamber – "

"Chamber?"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't seen it yet," he remembered, momentarily forgetting that he still hadn't discovered how she'd known about it before. "Remind me to take you there after the holidays," he mused, before shaking his head. "Anyway, I spent a few moments just staring at the Granilith, willing it to give me some answers. Obviously, nothing happened, but when I reached out to touch it, I was hit with another rush of images."

He glanced at Liz, but she said nothing and so he continued, "It was really strange, Liz. We were in so much pain and I didn't understand what was happening. I was so confused; and that's when I decided that I had to talk to you about what was happening to me."

"Max," Liz spoke softly. "What did you see?"

"I was weird, we – you and I – were holding each other in the Granilith chamber and I told you that I wouldn't leave you, but you insisted that I had to. I remember that I said something about us not existing anymore, _not as we do now_," he repeated the words from his flash, looking down at his hands. "We hugged and you told me that you didn't have any regrets. Next thing I know, I'm shoving a long crystal into the Granilith and then I'm sucked into it and I disappear, leaving you all alone."

Liz closed her eyes in disbelief; her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. It could be…he couldn't have seen…oh, God.

"Max," she started carefully. "What did we look like? In the flash, I mean."

Now it was Max's turn to look puzzled, but he answered her question, regardless. "Your hair was short, just above your shoulders and you were wearing all black. I had longer hair – it reached my shoulders as well – I was dressed in leather pants and a leather vest," he remembered. "And we looked older too, Liz. I think I may have even had some grey hair."

He turned back to Liz for her reaction, but was startled to find that her face had drained of colour and she was shaking slightly.

"Liz?" he reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, but she flinched and let out a sharp gasp.

"Max…" she gulped. "I um, I don't think what you've been seeing is your imagination…"

His eyes widened, "It's not? So that means you do know something about all this?"

Realising what she'd just said, her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly, "No. I don't know anything, Max." But he wasn't buying it.

"Liz, I know when you're hiding something. What is it? What do you know?"

"I can't. I promised I wouldn't say anything – " she stopped quickly, but it was too late.

"You promised whom?" his tone was suspicious. "And who exactly would you have spoken to about this?"

She sighed, breathing deeply before continuing, "Max, there's something I haven't told you. I couldn't tell you before, but after what you've seen, maybe it's time you knew."

"Knew what?" his tone was deceptively calm, his emotional state only given away by the clenching of his jaw.

Liz sucked in a breath and turned to face him fully, bringing her legs up in front of her and settling more comfortably on the bed. Following her actions, Max moved to sit before her in the middle of the bed and crossed his legs.

"There's a lot I have to tell you and explain to you; and you're probably not going to like all of it, but all I ask is that you hear me out," she said, making eye contact with him.

"Okay…" Max was puzzled. What on Earth could Liz have to tell him and how could it be so bad that he might not listen to all of it?

"Okay," she affirmed, more to reassure herself than anything else. "Well, a few weeks ago, something really strange happened to me; something I didn't even think was possible until that moment, but it happened nonetheless."

"Liz, what are you talking about?" Max interjected quietly, confused by her words. "What do you mean by strange – "

"I had a visitor from the future," she blurted out suddenly, cutting him off.

Max blinked, his mouth dropping open at her totally unexpected statement.

"Sorry," she backtracked quickly, seeing his face. "I didn't mean to just blurt it out like that. Max, are you okay?"

"I um," he tried to form words. "It's just…What?"

Liz couldn't help but give an inward smile at his shocked expression. "One night, a few weeks ago, there was a flash from outside and suddenly someone appeared at my window. It turned out they were from the future and needed me to help them," she stated as simply as she could.

"Liz," Max started carefully, looking at her almost as if she was crazy. "You do know that time travel is against every law of Physics?"

She shook her head. "That's what I said, Max, but it turns out that I was wrong."

"But…you just believed what this…person…told you? They could have been a shapeshifter or something!"

"Max, I trusted them, okay? And in a minute, I think you'll understand why," Max sent her a 'well, go on then – explain' look and so she continued. "My visitor was about thirty years old and was dressed in black leather," she told him. "He had long hair that reached his shoulders and it was greying slightly at the sides," she gave him a meaningful look.

Max was confused for a moment, but then he realised what she was getting at and his eyes widened in surprise.

"But …my flash…that's what I was wearing when…" he stopped, his eyes roaming the room wildly. "It was me?"

Her nod confirmed it. "He…you…used the Granilith to come back in time in order to try and change the future," she explained softly.

"What I saw – the visions – they really happened? I was seeing the future?"

"Not exactly. You were seeing the future we would have lived if I hadn't changed it."

"If you hadn't…" Max was trying hard to fathom what she was telling him. "Liz, what exactly happened when he – I – came back?"

Liz sucked in a breath and prepared to confess the secret she'd been keeping all these weeks.

"Okay. Well, I was standing over there," she pointed to the mirror against the wall, "when there was a flash of light and you appeared in my window. Like I said, at first I didn't believe that it was really you and that time travel was possible, but he told me that if he wasn't from the future, then how would he know exactly what was about to happen? Within seconds, I heard something from outside and there you were, singing to me in Spanish." Max's eyes widened at this and a small blush appeared on his cheeks. "He told me that you spent a week learning the lyrics from Mr. Delgado at the hardware store," she smiled.

"Yeah, I did," Max exhaled. "You know, I still can't believe I did that. It was so embarrassing!"

"No, I'm glad you did," Liz shook her head. "It was really sweet. And if it weren't for the thirty-something version of you in my room at the time, I would definitely have told you that then."

Her comment sobered him up. "So, what happened after that, Liz? Why did he ask you to change the future?"

The smile left Liz's face as she began to explain. "He told me that, in his timeline, you and I got back together and because of that, Tess eventually left town. We were happy together for fourteen years, when your enemies attacked and took over the world. You couldn't defeat them and a lot of people died, including Michael and Isabel." Max let out a gasp, but Liz knew she had to continue before she chickened out of telling him everything. "Of our group, only you and me were left and with the help of someone called Serena, we found a way to modify the Granilith for time travel. You came back to stop the end of the world from happening."

She stopped for a moment to let her words sink in.

Opposite her, Max's mind was whirling. To his ears, Liz's story seemed unbelievable, but in his heart, he knew it was the truth. He had seen visions of the future – images of himself and Liz saying goodbye before he came back. What he didn't understand though, was how they thought he would be able to change what had happened.

"How," he swallowed, "how could coming back in time stop the end of the world? What did he think would change it?"

"He already knew what would change it," Liz admitted. "The reason you couldn't defeat the enemy was because after Tess left, your Four Square was incomplete. Without her, the three of you weren't strong enough to win. So, the plan was to prevent Tess from leaving Roswell and the only way to do that was to give her something to stick around for."

"Which was?"

"You," she clarified. But then she realised how that sounded and added, "Or at least the possibility of you." Max's expression was confused, so she tried again. "His plan was to get you and Tess together. But in order to do that, I had to find a way to make you fall out of love with me."

Max's eyes snapped to hers incredulously. "What? Liz, how can you think that – ?"

She cut him off with a hand on his arm. "It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I did it because I had to; because you asked me to, Max."

"How did – what did you do?"

"Well, first I went to Tess. I tried to set you two up, but it didn't work. You saw me in Whitaker's office and realised what was going on. So, I tried something else. I went to your room and gave you that whole speech about how I didn't want to be with you, which didn't work either. By then, I'd had it. I told him I wouldn't do anything else to hurt you, but he insisted, telling me that only a few minutes before he came back, he held Michael in his arms, dead." Tears welled up in her eyes and a quick glance at Max showed that he was feeling the same.

"So," she continued. "I tried one last thing. I knew you were going to come to my balcony the night of Gomez, so I went to Kyle."

Suddenly Max understood. "And you slept with him, knowing that I would see," he stated flatly, trying desperately not to let his emotions show.

"No, Max!" she shook her head vehemently. "No, that's not it at all. I asked Kyle for a favour – friend to friend – I didn't sleep with him, Max. We set it up to look like I had, so that you would hate me."

"You didn't…" Max couldn't form the words. A look of wonder spread across his face. "You didn't sleep with Kyle?"

"No," she admitted softly. "And it broke my heart to know that I had caused you so much pain. But I couldn't tell you the truth. The fate of the world depended on it."

Max couldn't do anything but nod and take it in. What else could he say right now? She'd finally told him the truth about what happened with Kyle. Perhaps now his nightmares would stop.

Wait a minute. Last night, his nightmare had been different. Could that mean something?

"Max?" Liz bit her lip anxiously as she queried his lack of response.

"The last couple of weeks, I've been having these dreams, well nightmares really, of you and Kyle being together."

"Oh, Max, I'm so sorry – "

"No, that's not what I meant," he stopped her. "Every night they were the same: I would relive the night when I saw you two; but last night, something was different. At first, I saw you and Kyle through the window, but then the scene changed and it was you and I in this bed. I saw us talking, dressed in the same clothes we were wearing that day and then we made love. Maybe it means something," he looked up at her, hopefully.

She sighed, "Max, I didn't tell you the reason that Max came back to that particular time and why I had to change the future then. The truth is that the first time around I still refused to go to the Gomez concert with you, but you wouldn't take no for an answer and the night of the concert, you came to my room to persuade me to go. That was the night we made love for the first time."

Max couldn't describe how he felt to hear those words spill from her mouth. Instinctively, he reached for her hands, gently clasping them in his, "We made love?"

She nodded, suddenly choked up. "We were inseparable after that. We got married a couple of years later and from what I've heard, we were pretty happy for those fourteen years."

Max saw the tears in her eyes, threatening to fall and he reached up caress her cheek with his hand.

Unable to prevent his next words, he spoke, "I want that with you. I want to be married to you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Liz, I still love you."

A lone tear slipped down Liz's cheek as she replied, "I still love you too, Max. But I can't be with you if it means the end of the world again."

He shook his head; his own tears beginning to fall. "I don't care," he declared. "I can't imagine living my life without you in it. We can be together and still prevent Tess from leaving; I know we can. And now that we know about possible dangers in the future, we can prepare for them."

"Max," Liz started, searching his eyes with her gaze, "you don't know how much I wish that could be true, but – "

He stopped her with a finger to her lips, "No; no buts, Liz. It can be true. Together, we can do anything. Please…"

Her eyes softened, taking in his pleading, vulnerable expression and she nodded, an almost imperceptible motion.

Max let out the breath he was holding, a smile breaking out on his face. Without further hesitation, he leaned in, brushing his lips against hers. Liz let out a small involuntary moan, relishing in the taste of him again and wound one arm around his neck, pulling him to her. Her other hand released his and slowly crept up his torso, coming to rest over his heart. Max deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing her bottom lip before quickly plunging inside her mouth.

They drank each other in, trying to make up for lost time. Desperate kisses were placed on every inch of bare skin they could find and they shifted on the bed as Max lowered her to the mattress, savouring every kiss and caress, committing each one to memory.

In a haze of passion, Liz began to inch her hands under the hem of Max's shirt, her hands gently caressing the bare skin on his lower back. Max continued to place kisses over her face, gradually making his way down to her neck. Liz let out a gasp when his lips grazed a sensitive spot behind her ear and in an unrestrained motion; she arched her back, pressing her chest to his.

"Liz…" Max mumbled against her skin. "Oh god, Liz…"

"Liz? Lizzie? Where are you?" The sound of her father's voice from the other side of the apartment startled them.

"It's your father," Max hissed and hurried to scramble off the bed, pulling Liz with him.

"I'm jut getting changed, Dad. I'll be down in a minute." Liz called hastily, glancing between the door and Max. Then she sighed reluctantly," You'd better go, I'm late for my shift and my Dad will have come up here to find me." As Max's crestfallen expression, she added, "But can we continue this later?"

Max's frown vanished immediately and his face broke into a grin. "Sure. How about you come round to mine tonight? My parents will be out doing Christmas things, so we'll have the house to ourselves."

"Okay," Liz bit her lip as she smiled shyly at him. "I'll see you later." She leaned up for a kiss, grinning when Max complied. "I love you," she whispered as they parted.

"I love you too," he replied as he moved towards the window, holding onto her hand until the last possible moment. "I'd better leave through the window; I don't want your dad to know I've been up here with you." He flashed her one last grin before climbing out onto the balcony. Liz watched with a dreamy smile as he descended down the ladder.

Suddenly she couldn't wait for Christmas.

_Epilogue to follow..._


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Ardently.

Breathlessly.

Passionately.

Max devoured her; loved her with everything he had.

All that had been missing from his life for the past few months was now right in front of him and he couldn't help but lose himself in her.

She was here, in his bed, and there was nothing in this world that could stop him from worshipping her; from showing her exactly how much he loved her.

"Liz," he whispered fervently, as he peppered her face with hot, sweet kisses, nibbling at her jaw line as his hands caressed her sides. "I love you," he declared breathlessly. "I love you so much."

Liz gasped as his tongue flicked across her bottom lip and she grasped his head in her hands as he moved to her ear. "I love you too," she managed. "I'm so sorry, Max; for lying to you all this time."

"Shh," he murmured against her warm skin. "Don't apologise. I forgave you the moment you told me the truth."

Max raised his eyes to her face just in time to catch the smile that passed her lips. Feeling a sudden rush of love towards this wonderful girl – no, woman, he decided – he dipped his head once more to resume his tender caresses. His left hand slowly crept up from its position at her side to cup her bra-covered breast, his thumb lightly moving over her rapidly hardening nipple.

Their shirts had been discarded several minutes ago and were now lying in a heap on the floor, covering their shoes and socks.

"Max!" Liz gasped when his fingers lightly squeezed her breast. "Don't stop. Please."

He smiled against her skin and not ceasing his assault on her neck, he shifted slightly so that he lay at her side, his hand still stroking the sensitive flesh beneath the material of her bra. His leg remained entwined with hers, but now he could see her fully. His lips left her neck and began to trail a path down to her shoulder and along her collarbone. Liz's eyes fell shut at the sensation as his lips moved lower, eventually finding her right breast.

Max's hand left her skin for a moment, gently reaching up to slide the straps of her bra over her shoulders and down her arms, uncovering her to his gaze. A sharp intake of breath from Liz, along with the hardening of her nipples, indicated the moment that the cool air hit her skin, but Max wasted no time in repositioning his hand over her left breast and lowering his lips to her right one. Her fingers buried in his hair and she cried out at the first touch of his tongue on her exposed flesh.

Max gradually made his way down over her body, kissing her bare skin tenderly as he went.

"I love you," he whispered against the warm flesh of her belly as his hands fumbled with the buttons on her jeans. Eventually unfastening them, he slid the trousers down over her hips. Liz helped him by wriggling out of the tight material, kicking her legs so that the garment fell to the floor at the end of the bed.

As Max continued his assault on her body, massaging her legs as his tongue dipped into her belly button, Liz reached behind her and unhooked the bra, tossing it to one side. Quickly becoming impatient with Max's slow torture, she slipped her hands between their bodies and reached for his belt. Max looked up from her skin in surprise, but before he knew it, his jeans had joined Liz's on the floor and she was urging him up her body.

He gasped as Liz's hand came into contact with his erection and began stroking him through the material of his boxer shorts. A few moments later, her fingers slipped into his waistband and he held his breath as she eased the boxers over his hips and down his legs, releasing him from their restricting confines. A moan escaped his lips as Liz's fingers squeezed his butt, holding his hardness against her. They lay like that for several seconds, just enjoying the feel of being pressed together so intimately, but soon Liz became impatient and manoeuvred her own panties over her hips and down her legs. Both naked now, Max stretched out on top of Liz, his erection nestled between her legs.

"Liz? Are you sure?" he whispered gently, hoping against hope that she wanted this as much as he did.

"Yes," she replied firmly, stroking his hair back off his forehead. "Completely sure. I love you, Max."

"Okay," he leaned down and brushed a soft kiss to her lips. Sending her an indulgent smile, he shifted his upper body so that he could reach into the top drawer of his bedside table and pulled out a small, square packet.

"Max," whispered Liz, embarrassed at the sight of the condom, despite the fact that they were both naked and about to have sex.

"Shh, don't worry; I just want to make sure that you're protected and that nothing weird happens when we do this."

"Weird?" she queried.

"Alien," he clarified.

"Oh." She looked down at his hand, before quickly bringing her eyes up to his, a blush rising in her cheeks.

"Hey," Max murmured, "if me this putting this on is uncomfortable or awkward for you to watch, why don't we just get under the covers? It might take away some of the embarrassment of our first time."

She nodded gratefully, "Yeah, I think that might be best."

"Okay." Max slid off her and the bed, before helping her up and they slid under the covers together. They lay facing each other, Liz keeping her eyes on his face as he extracted the condom from its packet and rolled onto his back, his hands disappearing under the sheet.

When the condom was in place, Max turned back to face her, his hand resting gently on her hips.

"So, uh, how do you want to do this?" he asked, suddenly nervous; what if she didn't enjoy it? "I, uh, I mean – "

Liz stopped him with a finger to his lips. "I know what you mean, Max. How about we just go with the flow, see what happens?"

"Okay," he whispered, his gaze falling to her lips. "So, can I kiss you?"

She didn't reply, just grabbed his head and pulled her to him. They devoured each other hungrily for several minutes and in the process, Max ended up on top of Liz once again.

"Now, Max. Please," she managed, gasping as his erection brushed her clit. Gently, Max reached down, sliding a finger against her, making sure she was ready. Carefully, he positioned himself at her entrance.

"I don't want to hurt you, Liz," he whispered in her ear.

"You won't," she insisted, but amended her statement when she heard his sigh, "Okay, so maybe it will hurt a little, but please don't think you have to be cautious because of me. Just go slow to start with, let me get used to you and we'll take it from there."

He nodded against her skin and gently eased himself in. Liz let out a sharp gasp at both the feel of him inside her and the pain she felt as he entered.

"You okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine" she whispered. "Don't stop."

Max kissed her lips as he pushed his length fully into her, stilling so that she could get used to him. It took all of his willpower not to move within her until she was ready; she was so hot and tight and he bit back a cry as her walls contracted around him. He almost jumped for joy when Liz whispered for him to continue and they both shuddered with pleasure as he began to stroke inside of her.

"Max! Oh, Max, yes!" Liz cried breathily, clinging to him tightly, her arms around his neck. "Oh, God."

Max placed hot, hungry kisses against her neck as he withdrew from her body and plunged back in again and again. The pressure was building between them and he could feel Liz nearing the edge. He opened his eyes and watched her face as the pleasure mounted within her. Tenderly, he crept his hand down between their bodies until he came into contact with her clit. Teasing it lightly, he grinned against her skin as she bucked beneath him, his name falling from her lips in a cry of ecstasy.

Just the feel of Liz's legs wrapped around his waist as her orgasm took control over her body and her inner muscles contracted around him was enough to send Max over the edge and he came with a deep moan, Liz's name spilling from his mouth in a gasping breath.

Completely spent and unable to control his actions, Max collapsed on top of Liz, scattering soft kisses across her face as her fingers traced languid patterns on his back. They lay together, breathing heavily for several moments, coming down from their high. With one last sweet kiss to her lips, Max gently pulled out of her and rolled to the side. Quickly, he reached beneath the covers and removed the condom, removing the evidence by disintegrating it in his hand.

He turned his head to look at Liz. She was staring at the ceiling, a lazy smile on her lips, her chest still heaving. She turned her head to the side, catching Max's eye.

"Wow," she breathed.

"Yeah."

"Makes me kinda wish Maria hadn't walked in on us last year, before we found the orb. We could have been doing this all that time."

Max chuckled at her disappointed, yet playful tone. God, he loved her.

They lay in silence for a few minutes, each contemplating what had just happened between them.

"Hey, Liz?" Max murmured a short while later, his gaze remained fixed on the ceiling; he didn't have the energy to move.

"Yeah?"

"You said before that we got married in that other timeline," he paused and Liz nodded. "We looked pretty young in the flashes I saw today. We can't have been that old when we married."

"No, we weren't," she agreed. "We were nineteen."

"Shit," he swore softly. "We were nineteen?"

"Yep," she confirmed.

"How did we manage that one? I mean, with our parents and everything?"

"We didn't," she replied wryly. "We eloped."

"Eloped?" he repeated.

"To Vegas. We got married in the Elvis chapel," she elaborated.

"Vegas? Elvis chapel? Wow." Liz couldn't help giggling at his shell-shocked expression.

"Yeah."

Max reached towards Liz, his hand finding hers and gripping it gently. He linked his fingers with hers and they lay in contemplative silence. Max was just imagining a wedding in which he and Liz got married, when suddenly and completely unexpectedly, another flash hit, and this time it pulled Liz in too.

_~Flash~_

"I can't believe we're really doing this!" Liz exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Max's arm as they sat in the foyer of the chapel.

"I know I said we were too young, but right this minute, there's nothing else I'd rather be doing than getting married to you, Liz Parker," he told her earnestly, bringing her round to face him.

"Soon to be Liz Evans," she added happily.

"Liz Evans…Mrs. Liz Evans," Max tried it out with a grin.

"So remind me again why we decided on the Elvis chapel?" Liz wondered, as she turned her gaze to their surroundings.

"Hey, this was your idea, remember?" Max grinned. He couldn't believe that in less than an hour, he would be married to the love of his life; the most beautiful, kind and loving woman he'd ever met; the girl he'd been in love with for as long as he could remember. A thrill ran through his body as he imagined their life together.

"Oh, yeah, so it was," replied Liz with a small sigh. "I'm sorry. It's not exactly the most romantic setting to be getting married in."

"I don't care, Liz. It doesn't matter to me where we get married, as long as we're together and happy."

"Aww, you're so sweet," she teased. "I love you."

"Love you, too," he replied with a smile.

"You know, when I was a kid, I always imagined having an outdoor wedding, in an orchard or a beautiful park. There'd be a marquee, and flowers everywhere, and all of my family and friends would be there; but you know something? As much as I fantasised about a wedding like that, right now, I'm the happiest I've ever been."

"Are you sure? Because I want that for you, Liz, I want you to have the wedding you've always dreamed of. I don't mind waiting, if that's what you really want," Max told her sincerely.

"No, Max, I'm not backing out of this now. We're getting married today and nothing's gonna change my mind now, not even you."

"Well, okay then," he stated. God, he loved her when she got all bossy. He couldn't wait to get her alone later; the things they would do…

"Evans? You're up next." The receptionist's announcement startled Max from his thoughts. He slipped his hand into Liz's, taking a moment to admire her in the knee-length flowing white skirt and matching bodice that she'd picked out for her wedding dress. Three years together, and she still managed to take his breath away. He gently rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand, calming her sudden nerves. With another grin, he pulled her to her feet,

"So, let's get married then, shall we?"

~Flash~

"Wow," Liz breathed, as the flash faded. "Our wedding!"

Max turned to her in surprise, "You saw that?"

"Yeah, I did. We were so happy that day, weren't we?"

Max couldn't hold back his smile, "Yeah, we were."

"We'll have that day someday, won't we, Max?" she asked hopefully. "Well, maybe not the Elvis Chapel part, but the wedding, at least?"

"I'll make sure of it," he told her seriously. "I'm not letting you go now. I love you, Liz."

He pulled her into his arms, rolling so that she lay on top of him and placed a tender kiss on her lips

"But, Max, what about everything that Future Max told me, about Tess leaving and the end of the world? He said that happened because we were together," she didn't want to ruin the mood, but what if they got back together and the same thing happened again? She wouldn't be able to live with herself if that happened.

"Don't worry, we won't let that happen, I won't let that happen. We'll make sure that Tess doesn't leave, okay? We'll be prepared this time," he assured her, his eyes dropping to her lips as the desire to make love to her took over once again.

"Okay," she managed, as her body became aware of Max's change in focus from their conversation to her. She licked her lips in anticipation as she watched Max raise his head up to her, his mouth dangerously close to hers. Their lips came into contact once again and their kiss deepened. Liz moaned into Max's mouth as his body began to stir against hers and she felt his arousal lengthen against her most intimate area.

"Max," she sighed as her body reacted and she began to rock against him. Taking the initiative, she broke their kiss and used her hands to push herself up. She straddled his waist and braced her hands against his chest as she prepared to sink down onto him.

She was stopped, however by Max's hands on her waist. "Liz, wait."

"What?" She was confused; was this too forward? Did he not want this?

As if sensing her confusion, he smiled reassuringly. "Condom," he reminded her, nodding towards the table. He watched, as her eyes grew wide.

"God, of course, I can't believe I almost forgot about that!" she rolled her eyes and leaned over to slide open his top drawer. Max was suddenly rewarded with a close up view of her gorgeous bare breasts. He swallowed harshly; it took all of his willpower not to lean up and capture a nipple with his mouth without warning her first.

All too quickly, Liz sat upright again, oblivious to his near-drooling state as she stared nervously at the small packet in her hand and then down at his arousal. Max noticed this and offered to help.

"You want me to do it?"

"Please," she replied, cursing herself for her sudden shyness. It wasn't that she didn't want to put it on him herself; she just wasn't sure if she'd do it right.

"Sure," he smiled, taking the package from her small hand.

She watched as his brow furrowed in concentration as he carefully tore it open and slid the condom out. With a small gulp, she moved backwards onto his thighs as he reached down and rolled it onto his length.

With an encouraging smile, Max placed his hands back on her waist and urged her forwards. His gentle actions brought back some of her confidence and she resumed her earlier position, her hands on his chest, her body poised above him. Carefully, Max guided her down onto him and she gasped as he entered her. Leaning down, Liz kissed him as, with his help, she lowered herself fully onto him.

"God, Liz," Max let out in a hiss at the feel of her tight, wet walls surrounding him.

Once Liz had adjusted her body to the new position, she began to move above him, using her leg muscles to raise herself up and then slowly back down on him, all the while, keeping her hands braced on his chest, her fingers pressing into his smooth skin. As she found a suitable rhythm and began to gain confidence in her movements, Max found himself urging her on, gripping her waist with his hands as she rode him.

For several minutes, all that could be heard in the bedroom was the faint squeaking of bedsprings and breathy sighs and moans from both Max and Liz. Max's hands left Liz's waist, creeping up her sides, cupping her breasts as their lovemaking became more urgent.

"Oh, Max; oh God, yes!" Liz cried out, throwing her head back in abandonment as one of Max's hands found its way down to her clit and began stroking and lightly pinching the sensitive nub. Barely a second later, she stiffened above him, a long moan falling from her lips as her muscles clamped down around him for the second time that night.

The vision of her writhing above him in ecstasy, her back arched, her hair cascading down her back, sent Max over the edge too. With a cry of pleasure, he came, his head falling back against the pillow as his hands roamed Liz's body uncontrollably.

Breathing heavily, his eyes closed, Max felt Liz collapse against him, her bare chest coming into contact with his. A thin layer of sweat covered both their bodies, but neither one cared. Max raised his hand to smooth Liz' hair back from her face and he kissed the top of her head lightly.

"Hmm," was her muffled response before she placed her hands on either side of his head and pushed herself up and off him, rolling over to cuddle up at his side. "That was…"

"Yeah, I agree," breathed Max. "We really should do this more often," he said as he lifted an arm around her shoulders, holding her close to him.

He turned his head, bending slightly to caress her lips with his own. It was meant to be a swift, chaste kiss, but he was lost when Liz slipped her tongue inside his mouth and it quickly became passionate.

Unfortunately, the sound of a door slamming downstairs startled them out of their embrace. They looked at each other in shock, but before they could move, Isabel's angry voice came floating up the stairs.

"Max! What the hell did you do to this Christmas tree?"

_**End**_


End file.
